Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 2 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 3 Part 1: Kicking Off 5 Chapter 1: Introducing Planet Soccer 7 Nothing as Simple as Soccer 8 The basic aim: It really is that simple! 8 So why is soccer so popular around the world? 8 Where do people play soccer? 9 Explaining a Few Rules 10 The field 10 The players 11 General behavior 12 Goal! 12 Keeping score 13 and keeping time 13 Playing the Game 13 Playing solo 13 Playing with others 14 Watching Soccer and Supporting a Team 14 Following club and country 14 Winning trophies: The be-all and end-all? 15 Chapter 2: Getting the Ball Rolling: A Brief History of Soccer 17 Discovering the Ancestors of Modern Soccer 18 Anyone for Cuju? 18 Kemari, Marn Gook, and Calcio Fiorentino 19 Inventing Modern Soccer: How It All Began in Britain 19 The 1850s: Time to lay down some rules 20 Enter the FA 21 Step aside for the professionals! 21 Exporting Soccer Around The World 23 The game makes it in Europe 23 then South America 24 and finally the world 25 Becoming the World''s Biggest Game 26 Television switches on 26 Players become stars 26 Television changed everything 27 Establishing Soccer in America 28 An immigrant game 28 Shooting stars, the NASL-era 29 From indoor soccer to the 1994 World Cup 29 A future built to last: MLS and the NWSL 29 Chapter 3: Getting Your Game On: The Gear You Need 31 Having a Ball 31 Getting The Right Look 34 Jerseys 34 Shorts 35 Cleats 35 Shin guards 37 Goalkeeping gear 37 The referee 38 Additional garments 38 Approaching Equipment 39 Goals and nets 39 First-aid kits 40 Practice aids 40 Other gear and equipment 40 Meeting Up with Merchandise 41 Replica jerseys 41 Numbering and lettering 42 Retro jerseys 42 Scarves 42 Other official merchandise 43 Knowing Where to Get It All 43 Part 2: Playing the Game 45 Chapter 4: Laying Down the Laws 47 Living by the Laws 47 Law 1: The field of play 49 Law 2: The ball 50 Law 3: The number of players 51 Law 4: The players'' equipment 52 Law 5: The referee 53 Law 6: The assistant referees 54 Law 7: The duration of the game 55 Law 8: The start and restart of play 55 Law 9: The ball in and out of play 56 Law 10: The method of scoring 57 Law 11: Offside 57 Law 13: Free kicks 59 Law 12: Fouls and misconduct 61 Law 14: The penalty kick 63 Law 15: The throw in 64 Law 16: The goal kick 65 Law 17: The corner kick 65 Noting Other Points 65 Extra time 65 Penalty shootouts 66 Away goals 66 The technical area 67 Common sense 67 Chapter 5: Players, Positions, and Tactics 69 Positioning Players 69 The goalkeeper 70 Defenders 73 Midfielders 76 Forwards 78 Getting Tactical 80 Dribbling: The first tactic 80 The main styles of play 81 Formations 83 Deploying data 95 Measuring performance 95 Expected Goals (xG) 95 Tracking players 96 Chapter 6: Honing Your Skills 99 Mastering the Basics 99 Dribbling 100 Basic passing skills 101 Receiving the ball 102 Heading the ball 106 Shooting 107 Volleying 108 Keeping It Tight at the Back 109 Marking 109 Tackling 109 Key defensive principles 113 Sharpening Your Skills Up Front 113 Shielding the ball 113 Chip pass 114 Outside of the foot pass 114 Back heel 115 Bending the ball 115 Feinting 116 Free kicks 116 Taking penalties 117 Goalkeeping 117 Catching 118 Diving 118 One-on-one 119 Going for crosses 119 Punching 120 Parrying and tipping 120 Positioning 121 Distribution 121 Saving penalties 122 Chapter 7: Keeping in Shape for Soccer 125 Keeping Fit 126 Stretching those muscles 126 Running 129 Exercising aerobically 130 Training with weights 131 Sorting out your stomach 131 Cooling down 131 Balancing Your Diet 132 Investigating Injuries 133 Preventing injuries 133 Treating injuries 135 Chapter 8: Coaching For Success 141 A Brief History of Coaching 141 Coach or Manager or Boss? 142 What the role involves 142 Chess -- or all-out war? 143 Kicking It with Kids 144 Picking a Team 145 Assessing your roster 145 Choosing a captain 147 Selecting a first XI 147 Deciding on tactics 148 Being Prepared 148 Practicing for success 149 Making in-game decisions 150 Chapter 9: Getting the Game On 153 Playing Pickup Soccer 153 Finding Out about Teams and Leagues 154 Running a Team 156 Choosing a league 156 Finding players 157 Paying for it 157 Keeping to a schedule 157 Game officials 158 Getting serious 158 Taking the Game Indoors 158 Getting Your Kid Playing 159 Levels of play 159 Starting out with a team 159 Camping out 160 High school soccer 160 Making it in the academy 160 Challenging the gifted player 161 Playing in College 161 The elite level 161 Lower-level NCAA play 162 Other competitive levels 162 Taking Up Coaching 162 First steps 162 Getting qualified 163 Moving up the ladder 163 The top level 164 Becoming a Referee 164 Volunteering 165 Part 3: Exploring the World of Soccer 167 Chapter 10: The Men''s World Cup 169 The Biggest Show on Earth 170 The long and winding road begins 170 The shape of things to come 171 The finals countdown 171 From Montevideo to Moscow: Eighty-Eight Years of Top-Class Drama 172 Uruguay and Italy set the template 173 Brazilian brilliance 174 Germany and Argentina take center stage 175 European dominance 177 America on the World Stage 180 And so to 2022 181 Teams to look out for 181 Players to watch 182 And On to 2026 183 Chapter 11: Surveying the International Scene 185 Understanding the Point of Exhibition Games 186 Playing for North American Pride 186 The CONCACAF Championship years 187 Onto the Gold Cup 187 Winning European Prestige 188 The early years 188 The Euros go large and even larger 189 The Euros in the new millennium 190 Ruling the Roost in South America 192 How it''s organized 192 The oldest -- and the best? 192 An erratic history 193 The Copa''s revival 194 Taking the African Title 194 The ACN: A slow burner 195 The cup catches fire 195 Winning Elsewhere 196 Asian Cup 196 OFC Nations Cup 196 Olympic Games 197 Looking at the Game All Over the World 198 United States 199 Canada 199 Mexico 200 Brazil 200 England 200 Italy 201 Germany 201 France 201 Spain 201 Argentina 202 Uruguay 202 Chapter 12: Playing Together: Clubs and Leagues Around The World 203 Clubbing Together 203 The very first clubs 204 The rise of the super clubs 204 The smaller clubs 205 Organizing Clubs Today 207 The players 207 The head coach 207 Technical staff 208 Ownership 209 Competing in Club Competitions 211 Seasons 211 Leagues 211 Cups 214 Playing in the Big Leagues 215 USA and Canada: Major League Soccer 215 Canada: The Canadian Premier League 217 Mexico: Liga MX 217 England: The Premier League 217 Italy: Serie A 218 Spain: La Liga 219 Germany: Bundesliga 220 Brazil: Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A 220 Knocking Out a Winner 220 FA Cup 221 The U.S Open Cup 221 Other famous cups 222 Competing on the International Stage 222 European Cup/UEFA Champions League 222 CONCACAF Champions League 225 Copa Libertadores 225 Intercontinental Cup/FIFA Club World Cup 226 Chapter 13: Focusing on Famous Clubs 227 Shooting Stars in North America 228 Chivas de Guadalajara 228 Club América 228 DC United 229 LA Galaxy 229 New York Cosmos 229 Seattle Sounders 230 Banding Together In Europe 230 AC Milan 231 Ajax Amsterdam 231 Arsenal 232 Barcelona 233 Bayern Munich 234 Benfica 234 Borussia Dortmund 235 Chelsea 235 Internazionale 236 Juventus 236 Liverpool 237 Manchester City 238 Manchester United 239 Marseille 239 Paris Saint-Germain 240 Real Madrid 241 Tottenham Hotspur 242 Making It in South America 243 Boca Juniors 243 Flamengo 244 Fluminense 244 Independiente 244 Millonarios 245 Nacion.